“Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail.” (Luke 22:31-32) If Satan knows “without faith it is impossible to please God,” (Hebrews 11:6) it is no wonder he wants our faith to fail. If the enemy knows “the work of God is this: to believe in the One he has sent,” (John 6:29) Satan, of course, will try to keep us from truly believing in the One.
In March of 1952, eighteen years after marrying Charity Chang, Watchman Nee was arrested on false charges, then tried and imprisoned. During his captivity, Charity was the only person permitted to visit. She passed away six months before he died on May 30, 1972. With no fanfare, his body was cremated and the family was notified. When Nee’s sister-in-law and grandniece arrived to gather his ashes, an officer showed them a note found under his pillow. Written in large letters with a shaky hand, this may be the last thing Watchman Nee wrote before meeting his Savior: “Christ is the Son of God who died for the redemption of sinners and resurrected after three days. This is the greatest truth in the universe. I die because of my belief in Christ. – Watchman Nee”
This Chinese disciple finished his race with the message he taught others: Christ is everything. Because Jesus overcame, we overcome. Because He lives, we live. ‘Even though my freedom is taken away, my loved ones are banished, and my life on earth is ending… by God’s grace, I stand.’
In the final chapter of his short book on Ephesians titled ‘Sit, Walk, Stand,’ Watchman Nee focuses on Paul’s instruction to stand against the enemy who hates God and all His children.
Christian living begins with sitting and leads to walking, but it does not end with these. Every Christian must learn also to stand. Each of us must be prepared for the conflict…
Only those who sit can stand. Our power for standing, as for walking, lies in our having first been made to sit together in Christ. The Christian’s walk and warfare alike derive their strength from his position there. If he is not sitting before God he cannot hope to stand before the enemy.
Satan’s primary object is not to get us to sin, but simply to make it easy for us to do so by getting us off the ground of perfect triumph on to which the Lord has brought us. Through the avenue of the head or of the heart, through our intellect or our feelings, he assaults our rest in Christ or our walk in the Spirit. But for every point of his attack defensive armor is provided, the helmet and the breastplate, the girdle and the shoes, while over all is the shield of faith to turn aside his fiery darts. Faith says: Christ is exalted. Faith says: We are saved by grace. Faith says: We have access through Him. Faith says: He indwells us by His Spirit. Because victory is His, therefore it is ours.
In Christ we stand.
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.” Ephesians 6:10-17
‘Sit, Walk, Stand’ by Watchman Nee; Gospel Literature Service; ©1957; Bombay, India